In the construction described by DE-A No. 16 30 616, directed towards economies of manufacture and shock damping, a piston rod of an actuator represents a tie-rod having longitudinal rigidity, and this can be combined with the usual tie-rod ends and toe-in adjustments. Thereby, the actuator itself, in its central portion, is held in or upon a linkage connection which, swiveling about the longitudinal central axis of the vehicle, is guided on a receptacle fastened to the front axle pillow block or an adjacent fixed element, translatably in the longitudinal direction as well as pivoting about a vertical axis. The linkage connection should thereby exhibit a slot-shaped guide which in turn is guided horizontally in a fork-shaped projection of the front axle slidably in a straight line, in that the fork-shaped projection exhibits a pin engaging the slot in the guide at right angles. A preferred embodiment of this arrangement involves two collinear fork-shaped protrusions and two pins engaging the latter which are fastened to the envelope of the actuator. Due to the straight-line guidance provided, a non-central arrangement of the linkage is precluded, because the actuating piston describes a curved path with respect to the axle housing.
When utilized as a pivoting axis, this known construction with straight-line guidance and central arrangement is particularly suited for narrow-gage or compact vehicles. The foregoing is limited, however only to constructions where the linkage connection in the middle of the actuator to the axle body or any other stationary point does not interfere spatially with the suspension of the axle in the vehicle frame, or that its accessibility is seriously reduced. In order to avoid this, the linkage connection must jut out relatively far. Otherwise one has to put up with corresponding large spaces between the axle and the actuator and corresponding widely cantilevered steering.
With increasing distance from the axle body and increasing protrusion of the steering levers, however, there increases the necessary longitudinal translatability of the pins, the danger of damage, the obstacles to space utilization and also the stress on the linkage connection elements, steering levers etc. In addition, there is the danger, which must not be underestimated, in the case of all-terrain vehicles, e.g. tractors, of dirt accumulation and damage caused by rocks and other obstacles along the way due to the extensively cantilevered fork construction with slot-shaped guidance. Rapidly occurring wear of the linkage can therefore soon lead to strong impacts, loud clatter and unsteady stability of steering, or even to rupture of the steering.
It is therefore an object of this invention to obtain a more compact, more robust and more reliable steering arrangement, in particular for the pivoting suspension of driven axles for narrow-gage vehicles.